THE stars above many cribs will shine this year for little Angelina Vidler, of Shoebury, who died in July at the age of five and a half. During her short life, she inspired many people, including members of Shoebury-based amdram company Actorcrats
NOTHING beats a Christmas knees- up at your local restaurant and the Maharaja in Benfleet bills itself as one of the best venues in the business. Indeed, on the night we visited the Indian restaurant, a chilly Wednesday, it was full of parties, indulging
TAILBACKS were caused on the A127 when two cars collided at Rayleigh. The collision happened on the Southend-bound carriageway at the A127's junction with Daws Heath Road, Rayleigh. An ambulance and two police cars were called to the
AUDIENCES at the Palace Theatre considered Oz so wiz two years ago it is back for a second outing starting on Friday. The Westcliff venue will be transformed into a fantasy world of Munchkins, sorcerers, witches and a bewildered girl with bunches guided
TRAFFIC policeman Bernie Brooker is retiring, after many years working with families touched by heart-rending tragedy. Even so, PC Brooker won’t be walking away from the people he has supported in his years as a family liaison officer for the
SOUTHEND'S Steve Maish will take on Denis Ovens in the first round of the PDC World Darts Championships. Ovens is currently ranked 18 in the world and the tie will take place at London’s Alexandra Palace. Maish made the championships as a qualifier
LEGRA A are leading the way in the Southend Table Tennis League Premier Division following their 8-1 win over Warehouse A. Paul Whatton and Jamie Willson were unbeaten, while 14-year-old Owen Warren made his Premier debut a memorable one by winning
A HUGE closing down sale has being launched by Woolworths. It comes as fears grow for the High Street chain's hundreds of workers in south Essex who face redundancy at Christmas if a buyer can't be found. The sale takes place at all
POLICE removed a haul of suspected stolen vehicles and arrested one man after they raided two homes and a garage. Officers from Pitsea and detectives from Chelmsford carried out the raids as part of a probe into the theft of vehicles and the sale of
A TEENAGER who hit two young girls and threatened to set a family home on fire has been found guilty of assault. Amelia Clarke, 18, attacked the 16-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as they walked home from a friend’s house in Benfleet
YOUNG patients at Southend Hospital had a reason to smile when they had a visit from Dorothy and her dog Toto. Lisa Cassidy, who is playing the lead role in the Wizard of Oz at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, and Shani, who plays Dorothy’s dog
LEGO fanatics from across Essex are being invited to show off their model building skills in a charity competition in aid of Little Havens children’s hospices. The Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, will host the competition on January 3, which has been organised
A CUDDLY koala bear is helping to raise funds for an appeal to help with the diagnosis of bowel problems. Basildon Hospital’s Scope in Time appeal is aiming to raise £250,000 to pay for extra equipment at the endoscopy department. Now staff have been
SIX people had to be rescued from a lift at a health centre. Firefighters from Hadleigh were called in when the lift came to a halt at the Tyrells health centre in Seamore Avenue, Benfleet. The lift, meant to be used by just four people, became overloaded
CALLS have come for Castle Point’s planning chief to quit, after councillors dramatically refused to vote on the blueprint for the borough’s future development. Councillors were due to decide on the borough’s Core Strategy document at a meeting
BILLERICAY Swimming Pool has revealed some of the results of its £50,000 upgrade. The pool, in Lake Meadows, off Radford Crescent, paid for the work using money loaned by Barclays to First Strokes Swim School, which has taken over the lease at the pool
RESIDENTS can attend a neighbourhood watch meeting at Billericay Football Club tonight. The meeting starts at 8pm and those attending can find out about schemes in their area.
A BAND have offered to help out a fan who came to see them perform in a pub and ended up having to pay almost £500 to car clampers. Emma Blomfield, 40, was going to see the Jayways perform at the Grand Hotel, in Leigh, last month when her car was clamped
A DRUNK dentist caused a pile-up while nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit, a hearing has heard. Willis Kabambe, 57, of Queens Road, Benfleet, was found leaning against a burger van reeking of alcohol following the lunch time road smash
BUSINESSES have reacted with dismay at Government plans to press ahead with controversial plans to force cigarette sales “under the counter”. Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced moves to ban prominent displays of tobacco products to remove temptation
AN ELDERLY man was taken to hospital after his car flipped onto its roof. The 63-year-old man was taken ill at the wheel of a silver Kia Sedona before it crashed in Southchurch Avenue, Southend. The car collided with the kerb and overturned at about
CRIMINALS will find it harder to escape detection after Basildon Cou-ncil secured funding to launch 24-hour CCTV surveillance. The 64 CCTV cameras across Basildon, Billericay and Wickford, will now be viewed around-the-clock thanks to a £200,000 hand-out
A HEALTH trust is launching an investigation after a woman claims she was given anti-histamines instead of her prescribed anti-depressants. Jodie Walsh, 23, was prescribed the medication by her GP at the Queensway Surgery, but when she collected the
A TREMENDOUS 56lb 9oz haul of quality roach rewarded Hardy and Grays Tackle consultant Dave Coster with a clear win at the first Ridley Angling Products Gloucester Park Open. In a stunning exhibition he netted roach averaging more than six ounces each
FOLLOWING concerns about the suitability of Hadleigh castle as an Olympic venue, Essex County Council has announced another consultation with local residents. The council will hold another public information meeting tomorrow at Castle Point Council offices
ANIMAL rescuers had their heads in the clouds yesterday when a concerned postie called for help after spotting what he thought was an owl in distress. RSPCA officers watched the bird for several hours and were so worried it had not moved they
Southend United players Steve Mildenhall and Kevin Betsy paid a visit to Darlinghurst Primary and Nursery School, in Leigh, to champion reading skills.. They met teaching assistant Karen Jones as part of the day organised by the school for her higher
A POLICE investigation into the sudden death of a pensioner has ruled he died of natural causes. Edward Windsor, 70, was taken to Southend Hospital in April after collapsing at his home in Dundonald Drive, Leigh. He appeared to recover, but died suddenly
BASILDON'S Phoenix Swimming Club have been able to provide members with new kit bags thanks to a £250 donation from EDF Energy networks. The energy firm donated the cash after employee Steven Mellor applied for a grant as part of the company’s Team
ENGLAND'S players, including Essex opener Alastair Cook, have pledged to donate half their match fees from tomorrow’s opening Test towards the victims of the terror attacks in Mumbai. Following a meeting at the team hotel the players issued a joint
GIANFRANCO Zola admits West Ham are in a tough situation at the moment but he feels the team are doing their best to keep away from the Premier League relegation battle. After Monday’s 2-0 defeat to bitter rivals Spurs, the Hammers dropped below rejuventated
SANTA arrived in style on a boat in Old Leigh and was greeted by dozens of excited children. He was made to feel welcome by youngsters dressed as snowmen, reindeer, penguins and elves. They escorted him through the town to his grotto at the Lynn Tait
FRIENDS and family who have lost loved ones gathered to light candles at a special Christmas memorial service. Havens Hospices is holding its Light up a Life services all over south Essex to give people the chance to remember that special someone during
ONE in ten Essex firefighters could lose their jobs if proposed changes to the service go ahead, the Fire Brigade Union claims. Up to 100 members of the union turned up to lobby the Fire Authority at a meeting at County Hall, Chelmsford. Armed
A SWARM of Santas took a stroll around Canvey to raise money for charity and bring a bit of festive spirit to the island. About 100 people took part in the walk, which stopped traffic as it made its way from the Labworth Cafe, on the seafront
TEACHERS have insisted foreign pupils and their parents are doing their best to learn English. School leaders in south Essex were responding to a claim by immigration minister Phil Woolas, who said all immigrants must conconcentrate on learning English
A CABBIE will trade his taxi for husky power when he sets off for the Arctic in a fundraising mission for a south Essex hospice. Great grandad Ray Woodcock, 66, will be leading a team of husky dogs 250km in a bid to raise £10,000 for Havens Hospices
COPS have launched a team dedicated to tackling burglaries in Southend, after break-ins rocketed by 70 per cent in the town. The number of houses and businesses targeted in the town has risen from 333, between April and October last year, to
A LEGENDARY heavy metal rock star has thrown his weight behind a campaign to preserve a vintage bomber at Southend Airport for future generations. Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who is a qualified pilot, paid a visit to Hockley to speak about
A COMPANY director who is struggling to survive the credit crunch is furious Essex County Council has broken a promise to pay businesses within 21 working days. Des Cross, director of Anglican Care, a care provider in Church Road, Benfleet, said his
PLANS to turn a former cinema into a hotel are being recommended for approval by council officers. The Robins cinema in North Gunnells, Basildon, has been shut for ten years, but could soon become a 97-bedroom hotel if planning committee members approve
JO-JO Cranfield will make history next year by becoming the first disabled swimmer to ever attend the world-famous Millfield School. Fifteen-year-old Cranfield, a member of the Rochford and District Swim Club, has been offered a partial scholarship
ON-LOAN striker from Dagenham and Redbridge, Kayan Kalipha, took his Concord goal tally to five in four league games with a brace at Thames Road. Visitors Chatham will be glad to see the back of their Canvey based hosts, having lost 4-1 to them at home
THIRD-placed Southend Manor added to the misery of their new town hosts who haven’t managed a win since starting the season with six straight victories. The visitors grabbed the winner on a bitterly cold night when Terry Baker's 85th minute attempted
TILBURY maintained their recent Ryman One North resurgence with this win thanks to a late goal from Jason Fontaine. Rovers, who have been dominant in these Essex derby fixtures, made the best possible start with a goal after five minutes through
AN ARSON attack has been carried out on a car wash in Queensway, Southend. Police were contacted by the owner of the Southend Premiere Hand Car Wash at 8am today, after it was discovered the office had been set alight overnight. Fire
A MAN who has been arrested on suspicion of leaking details of thousands of British National Party members comes from south Essex. Matthew Single, 36, who has twice stood for Basildon Council on behalf of the British National Party, was one
CHALKWELL seafront has been transformed in recent years. Contemporary blocks of flats now dominate the skyline in place of more modest buildings, many of which were built in the Victorian era. Not everyone is happy with the change, not least
ESTATE agents are being buoyed by new confidence in the housing market following cuts in interest rates. Companies across south Essex spoke of a glimmer of hope after a positive report on the market was revealed by the Royal Institution of
FORMER Southend United centre-back Spencer Prior is the new assistant manager of Australian outfit Manley United. The ex Blues defender, who also played for Norwich and Manchester City, emigrated after opting to hang up his boots at the end of the 2006
SIX young dancers from south Essex will be appearing on television throughout the festive season. The youngsters, from Southend-based Wiggles dance group, were chosen to take part in the music video for a Christmas single written by Bill Oddie, the wildlife
VOLUNTEERS in Castle Point who do not have a traditional office Christmas party to go to are invited to a special festive event. Staff from Castle Point Volunteer Centre will be serving mulled wine, mince pies and a selection of other seasonal treats
A CARING pensioner who has donated blood more than 100 times was among those honoured at a special prize giving. A National Blood Service ceremony was held, at Crondon Park Golf and Country Club, near Stock, to thank donors from across Essex
MORE than 100 smiling Santas slipped on red suits, white beards and black boots to raise funds for charity. A horde of Father, Mother and even Kiddy Christmases could be seen in Chafford Hundred, as almost 100 people took part in a sponsored run and
ROB Milsom wants to secure his first Southend United victory this Saturday. The midfielder, who is currently on loan from Fulham, has yet to triumph in his first three appearances for the club. But he wants that to change this weekend
AS part of its bid to eliminate superbugs, London’s famous Great Ormond Street Chil-dren’s Hospital has called in an innovative animated character called Max. The character is the creation of Basildon businessman Ashley Brooks who has good cause to support
